TOPH X TEO FLUFF! Preparing for the Raid
by Jesus.Lives
Summary: Just before the eclipse, an air attack is planned and a homesick Toph gets a sympathetic ear with Teo...
1. Chapter 1

**This is based on a premise of mine that I'm certain will come true. It's prediction no. 3.**

**Here are the predictions:**

_1. Iroh will die either at the end of this season or early in the next. (sob! at least he will be with Lu Ten)_

_2. Zuko... Aang... at a ball and Zuko isn't going all "I have to capture the Avatar"! That has to mean that Aang might save Zuko and Iroh from the crazy Jet. After all, Aang owes him one from the Blue Spirit rescue. Plus, I'm sure Sokka would pick Zuko over Jet. He REALLY hates Jet. By the ball... my prediction is that Zuko and Aang may have an understanding... even if it's just for a night._

_3. The Northern Air Temple wasn't a plot convenience. They will return to help with the end of the war (they need the Machinist's inventions anyhow) and possibly Toph might get her second kiss (well, that or with another OC) and this time... it'll be a REAL one!_

**I don't own Avatar. But I should be on the writing staff (PUUUUUUULLLLLEEEEAASSSSEEEEEE guys!) :D**

**It will also have slight Kataang and a little Toko friendship.**

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She sat in a corner. Huddled up and thinking. It had only been a few short months, but they had stretched before her like ages and ages had gone by. Now the time had come and the young Earth Rumble champion was longing significantly for home.

Yesterday they'd arrived at the Northern Air Temple and found themselves in good hands. Toph had never met them before, but the other's in the gaang had helped the immigrants to this spot win a small victory over the Fire Nation on their many happy adventures before she joined the group.

Greeted by the one responsible for the whole place (or as Aang said, "the current state of the place"), the Mechanist and his son Teo. Toph was slightly disgusted at the way these Earth Kingdom families had adjusted so quickly to living in the sky. It just wasn't natural.

Give her the harsh environments of down below anytime. Not that she didn't like the feel of Appa's fur as it rustled in the wind. It's just that she liked to feel secure.

After Aang's endless pleading Toph finally got on the back of Teo's wheelchair to go for a glide that afternoon. He was suprisingly understanding.

He talked often about how Katara had enjoyed it, even though she was hesitant at first to try as well. That's when Toph had gotten angry. She wasn't Katara and no one knew how she felt. She was sick of Katara and Aang. She was sick of Suki and Sokka, even though Suki had stayed at Ba Sing Sei a long time ago to help prepare the largest Earth Kingdom army for the great seige on the Fire Nation.

Zuko had left to go another way. She knew he had gone so he could confront his father before Aang and she just hoped he wasn't going to give away the plan and turn into a traitor. They should have let her follow him while they had a chance. She would have liked it if he'd come to the Air Temple. She was sure he would have hated gliding as much as she did. He wasn't a fancy boy like the rest of them here.

Now they went to put the finishing touches on their plan. The air raid. In which Aang and the gaang could be backed up from all sides as they sailed quietly over the borders - intent on reaching their target. Aang's mission was the most important.

Pakku was heading up the waterbender's from all sides (even from the swamps - which was particularly funny if anyone knew Pakku. Those people weren't usually the type he would command or teach, but they were short on people so anyone the Avatar knew was signed up to help as a personal favor).

Here, she was out of her element. Out of her comfort zone and to top it off, tomorrow was eclipse and everyone was relying on her to join the gaang in the air on one of the Mechanist's new inventions to fly into the Fire Nation.

If they flew in on Appa, the Fire Nation would know the Avatar had come and they wouldn't be able to take them by suprise... and a suprise attack was the only way to make sure that they would get their victory that day.

There was no other time.

Toph blew at her hair that fell in front of her lifeless eyes and she took the air googles off that were on her forehead.

They were a nice welcome gift for all of them. Preparing them for the air. The hospitality of these good natured Earth Kingdom people put a smile on her face.

As she sat on the ground a familar gravelling sound of the temple floor was coming towards her. A rolling. And before too long she heard a pair of squeaky wheels.

"You can't sleep either, huh? All that excitement from air gliding?"

Toph could tell just from his voice that he was smiling. He spoke as if he had an upturned mouth 24/7. She nicknamed him "Sugar King" because he reminded her of Katara.

Always positive. Always friendly...

"I don't know how you can do it, Sugar King. I've been around Aang. And frankly, I can't see the appeal of being an airbender."

"Sugar King?" He asked, before shrugging it off. "It's great. I don't have to worry about anything. I don't have to remember anything. This war has hurt a lot of people. I'm just glad it's going to be over soon."

Toph sighed, letting her thoughts tumble out. There was only one day left. She couldn't talk to Aang about it. He'd feel much to guilty for her joining the group and the last thing Aang needed was more stress. "My parents did everything to stop me from knowing about the war. I knew. I just didn't experience anything. Now, I'm right in the middle of it."

A tear ran down her cheek.

Teo bit his lip and looked down at her. "I guess you can say the war came to us. It took my mother and left me like this. Up here, I have my dad and I can forget the whole thing ever happened. But we all have to help. To end it." He turned his face away. "Especially after what my dad did to help the Fire Nation."

Toph was wrapped up, literally and figuratively. She let her air goggles go over her wrist and she kept her knees up next to her face as the moon came through the airy regions of the temple.

Teo didn't know what he would do without his father. He got an idea and stretched out his hand to the blind girl, blushing a bit as he did so.

When he helped her grab to the back of his chair that afternoon, the two also wore a blush. For Teo, there were so few girls around up at the Air Temple. He guessed that was why he remembered Katara so well from their last visit.

For Toph... well, she liked older boys. And he was friendly and fun. She was just much to mortified to do anything after the way her last crush had panned out. It was better to pretend that she never liked anyone and to forget about dating all together.

The last thing she needed was more embarrasment.

She raised her head to the boy's offer...

"I've got something to show you. Come with me..."

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**Please review. This is part one of two, which will go up if anyone out there supports a Toph/Teo kiss. (But not relationship. I can just see it now...**

**TOPH: Mom, Dad. Meet Teo. We're going to get married.**

**TEO: Hi Mr & Mrs Beifong!**

**MR BEIFONG: Toph. We've talked about this. This boy isn't good enough for you. You're going to marry the Avatar.**

**TOPH: But Dad! He's taken!**

**MR BEIFONG: Well, whatever they're giving him, we'll double it! Guards! Dispose of the Peasant!**

**mwhahahahaahahahahahahahaha...**


	2. Chapter 2

**I haven't written the Kataang stuff yet, but it's implied. This is a lot of Toph's character and her relationship with her family.**

**and finishes with a kiss! Yay... uhh... Teoph... :P**

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She took his hand and got herself up. Now taller than him again. Only because of the chair. She wasn't taller than anyone else.

It was late but she followed him through twists and turns in the temple, up ramps till finally they got to the very top of the temple. A little room, with a big window, packed with cylindrical tubes and a hot air machine.

"My Dad made this. He figured, from the Air Temple, you could send letters to anyone. These tubes drop down to various places in the Earth Kingdom. So people here could contact people back... home..."

Teo grinned again and spun his wheels to a stop before the small desk with a pen and paper and a place to put the scrolls down the tubes.

"I just know that... I would want to tell my dad where I was, if I was ever off helping the Avatar without him... like you are."

Another single tear ran down Toph's face mingling with the previous one. She'd wanted to contact her family. But she knew they'd force her home if she did and she didn't want that. There was too much at stake. Now, there wasn't much stopping her. The end would come tomorrow. For better or for worse and she would like to at least get the chance to get something to them. Let them know it wasn't their fault that she ran away.

She really loved her family. But if only they could understand!

Toph lifted her head to the boy with gratitude.

"The destinations are written on the tubes... you just write something and send it down..." he then closed his mouth, realizing his mistake.

"I'd hate to break the generosity... but I'm not much of a writer... or a reader, that we're on the topic." She grinned and waved her hands in front of her eyes.

"Ok. How about I write something... and I'll send it for you?"

"Alright. Send it to the Beifong's. It should get there easily if the machine is as reliable as you make it out to be."

"The Beifong's? You're a Beifong?"

"Yeah. I'm a Beifong."

"Oh. Wow. I just didn't think..."

Toph held her hand up at him, palm pointed out. "Ok, Ok! Are you going to write this thing?"

She blushed. She didn't really want to let out her personal feelings in front of this boy she didn't know. Especially in regards to her family. But there was really no other way.

Teo wheeled over to the desk, pushed away the chair and picked up a pen.

"Alright. Dear mom and dad."

"Yes?" Teo asked, scribbling it quickly.

"I'm sorry that I ran away from you. I just wanted to do the right thing for me... for everyone..." Toph continued, trying hard not to show any particular emotion.

"OK..."

"And tomorrow we go to war to the Fire Nation to end it once and for all."

"Go on..."

"I needed to do this and I... hope you will understand when I come back... I love you... mom... dad..."

Teo was silent.

"You got that?"

"Yes."

"Ok, just add my name to the bottom. Toph... oh and say that the Avatar says hi." Toph grinned. She didn't want to rub it in her parents faces, but she was in good hands with Aang. Plus, she could take care of herself fine.

Teo rolled up the paper and sent it down a chute, he turned his wheelchair back around and wheeled over towards her.

"Sorry about your parents."

Toph nodded and grimaced back another tear.

"It's Ok... You might just want to be alone?" he continued, fumbling from all the static tension in the air.

"Yeah," she said. "Get ready for tomorrow."

"Don't be afraid of the air!" He said brightly as he rendered his wheelchair to inch forward and move away. Before he got to the ramp, he stopped... hesitated.

Tomorrow was a big day.

His wheels went back and forwards a couple of times before he turned back around.

It was now or never... they left at sunrise.

Teo rolled back over to where Toph was standing and put out his hand again.

"What?" She asked bluntly. He put his hand in hers and then pulled her down gently but swiftly so she was sitting on his lap and then leant in to kiss her, her head hitting the air goggles on his forehead as he got close.

She blushed beet red as he met her in a slightly unpracticed, sloppy kiss.

It wasn't the type of violin playing "you're my hero" type kiss that she'd previously wanted. But it was... normal. He was normal. The first normal boy she'd met in a long time.

And she was embarrassed that he kissed her and that she, Earth Rumble champion wasn't sharing her first REAL kiss with a macho man or a heroic Avatar.

Just a normal kid around her own age, who made her feel like maybe this war wasn't happening after all.

Maybe it had all suddenly disappeared and life could be lived without threat, without fear.

They broke apart, rather he broke apart. She had moved only slightly, plagued from embarassing memories of her previous kiss.

He smiled again but was also acting a little odd to be in new waters. "I'm uh, sorry for that too..." he said.

She continued to blush, but was speechless. She opened her mouth, but repeatedly nothing came out.

He dropped her hand and helped her back up. "Aang might be upset if you don't get any sleep" he said cautiously.

"I... I'll keep that in mind" she said, and the boy turned back around - leaving the room for good this time and leaving Toph with an excited feel to the new day.

She had been kissed... by a boy... and she felt like she was floating on air. She grinned as her feet lifted off the ground onto her toes and she jumped about like Twinkle Toes had when he beat her during the Earth Rumble... Maybe she could get used to this whole air bending thing after all.

:D

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**Toph's so cute! Meep! I think Toph's my favorite! **

**And there should be more fics with Teo.**

**Appa will be on you if you don't review... don't say I didn't warn you...**

**(I guess he's not in Ba Sing Sei after all... )**


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